Exploring Addie's character
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explore Addie’s character traits in ‘A Kind of Spark’ and identify character lows and highs within the structure of the story.
Key learning points
- Addie is the protagonist in 'A Kind of Spark'; she is autistic, but this does not define her exclusively.
- Addie has a range of character traits including bravery, determination and single-mindedness.
- We can identify character traits by looking at evidence in the text.
- We can identify a structure within a narrative including an opening, build-up, climax and resolution.
- We can track a character's emotions across a story to understand more about their personality.
Keywords
Protagonist - a main character or central figure in a story or narrative
Traits - special qualities that make a character in a story unique and interesting
Structure - the order of events within a narrative that gives it a coherent and engaging flow
Emotions - strong feelings that result from a person’s circumstances, mood or relationships with others
Common misconception
Pupils may struggle to see the structure within such a long narrative.
Note that structure is somewhat subjective, but that a lot of the plot will be taken up with the build-up towards the climax. Many plots intertwine and build tension.
Teacher tip
You may want to have pupils identify more or fewer points on their emotions graph, depending on your assessment of their understanding of the text.
Equipment
You need a copy of the 2020 Knights Of edition of ‘A Kind of Spark’ written by Elle McNicoll, illustrated by Kay Wilson, for this lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When did the Scottish witch trials occur?
Q2.Which best describes belief in religion in the Early Modern period?
Q3.Which of the following people would be most likely to be accused of witchcraft in the Early Modern period?
Q4.Which of these might help you to avoid being convicted of witchcraft?
Q5.Which of the following have not yet been done in Scotland?
Q6.How many people were executed for witchcraft during the Scottish witch trials?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following are character traits of Keedie?
Q2.Which character has the following traits? Kind, thoughtful, brave, passionate.
Q3.Which of these are features of Addie's autism?
Q4.Put these elements of a story structure in order.
Q5.Match each element of a story structure to its purpose.
to introduce the characters and setting
to increase the tension by introducing problems
to show the main drama or excitement in the story
to solve the problems introduced in the build-up
Q6.Which part of the story does the following event fall into? 'Audrey gives Addie a new thesaurus.'
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Exploring Addie's character, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 English lesson on: Exploring Addie's character, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the 'A Kind of Spark': narrative writing unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.